We never like to see our co-workers leave. In most cases, though, we are are happy for them because they are going on to bigger and better things. But occasionally they are not leaving under their own power. And that is when things can get...well...messy. So before you are tasked with the job of putting it all back together, why not take a moment and prepare.
I have discovered that there are two types of administrators â those who are shepherds of the systems, guarding them, nurturing them, and returning them to their employers in better shape than they found them and those who are owners of the systems, jealously guarding them, babying them and only reluctantly returning them to their employers, usually when they are shown the door. It is this last group that will cause you the most pain and suffering and it is this last group who you have to prepare for, prevent against and stand watch over.

While there are a number of ways to get into a system after the fact (and we will briefly touch on some of them), if you can avoid having to use those tools, so much the better â for you, for the systems, and for your employers. The first step is make sure there are policies and procedures in place. Which means getting the Human Resources department involved at the beginning. Remember that HR is there primarily to protect the company, so anything that helps them in this mission is generally regarded as a good thing, especially if it includes the systems they have come to depend on.